Hepatitis A Diagnosed in Good Food Store Employee, Public Warned to Look for Symptoms

An employee of Missoula's Good Food Store was recently diagnosed with a highly contagious liver infection. According to Good Food Store Communication Director Layne Rolston, the employee helped make some of the food that was on offer at the salad bar.

"We actually have had a staff member identified by the health department as being diagnosed with Hepatitis A," Rolston said. "They were excluded from work for most of the time while they were having symptoms, but there was a possibility of exposure to the virus for other members of the staff and for customers who ate at the self-serve salad bar."

Missoula City-County Public Health Department spokesperson Cindy Farr explains the possible exposure dates for Hepatitis A at the Good Food Store and some of the associated symptoms.

"Anyone who ate at the self-serve salad bar at the Good Food Store between August 15 and September 13 should be alert for symptoms of Hepatitis A. Those symptoms include fever, fatigue, loss of apatite, nausea, vomiting, dark colored urine, clay colored bowel movements, joint pain abdominal cramping and jaundice, which is yellowing of the skin or eyes."

There is a vaccine for Hepatitis A and it will still work for those who came into contact with Hepatitis A at the Good Food Store between September 2nd and September 13 and are not currently showing symptoms. Farr says there is currently vaccine available in Missoula. Anyone interested in finding out more information can call the county help line at 258-3500.